Pornography debates have tended to polarize the feminist movement and led to the “sex wars” of the 1970s and 1980s. The main opposition can be denoted with PorNo (antipornography positions) and PorYes (pro-pornography and “sex positive” outlooks), but is fraught with difficulties. For example, it is unclear what exactly is under dispute: Is the disagreement about how to define the concept of pornography or merely about which materials fall under it? Subsequently, the chapter considers two questions: Is feminist pornography possible? Might pornography be emancipatory? The chapter answers both questions with “yes” and considers what would make pornography feminist and/or liberatory when thinking about racialization, ability, and “fattism” in pornography. It argues that neither an unqualified PorNo nor an unqualified PorYes position is tenable. Furthermore, these positions share many basic commitments; but both sides tend to paint the opposition in an uncharitable light and in a manner that distorts the debate.
What is sex-positive feminist pornography? The answer is in the question
